Choice is an Illusion, a non-profit opposed to assisted suicide, has launched a new website against the Massachusetts "Death with Dignity" Initiative. The initiative seeks to enact a physician-assisted suicide act in Massachusetts.

Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion and an elder law attorney in Washington state, states: “The initiative’s introduction declares that the process will be ‘entirely voluntary’ for the patient. The act, as written, does not deliver on this promise. The act is instead a recipe for elder abuse.”

The proposed act has an application process to obtain a lethal dose for the purpose of causing the patient's death. The act allows the patient's heir, who will benefit financially from the death, to actively help the patient sign up for the lethal dose. Ms Dore comments: "The act allows an heir to participate as one of two witnesses on the lethal dose request form. The act… click here to read whole article and make comments

The “slippery slope” is often derided as a logical fallacy. But when one of the leading advocacy groups for euthanasia in Belgium posts an article entitled “Euthanasie: tijd voor de volgende stap, Euthanasia, time for the next step”, it’s hard not to think that it may not be so illogical after all.

The Humanistisch-Vrijzinnige Vereniging (Humanist-Liberal Association) complains that eligibility for euthanasia is far too restrictive. At the moment, only people with unbearable suffering can be euthanased. This leaves out people in irreversible comas, people with dementia, people with irreversible brain diseases and people who are under 18. This is manifestly unfair, the HVV contends.

However, this is not just a private initiative. In November Wim Distelmans, the chairman of the official Federal Committee on Euthanasia, released an open letter to Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo asking him to re-open a national debate on euthanasia. (At the time,… click here to read whole article and make comments

The 23,000 members of the Massachusetts Medical Society have voted against physician-assisted suicide. Its House of Delegates voted by a large majority for maintaining a policy the Society has had since 1996. According to the MMS press release: “Opposition to physician-assisted suicide was part of a larger policy statement that includes recognition of patient dignity at the end of life and the physician’s role in caring for terminally-ill patients.”

Lynda Young president of the Society, said: “Physicians of our Society have clearly declared that physician-assisted suicide is inconsistent with the physician’s role as healer and health care provider. At the same time we recognize the importance of patient dignity and the critical role that physicians have in end-of-life care.” 

Dr Young said the policy exceeds a single statement of opposition to physician-assisted suicide to include “support for patient dignity and the alleviation of pain and suffering at the end of life.” She… click here to read whole article and make comments

Your Last Right, an Australian euthanasia lobby group, has collected an impressive list of more than 100 “ambassadors” for “ the legal right to request and obtain medical assistance to end their lives with dignity”. It contains some familiar names – Philip Adams, Bob Brown, Leslie Cannold, Peter Singer, for instance. But there are some surprises, at least for me: footie legend Ron Barassi, former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, “social identity” Lady Susan Renouf, and Major General Alan Stretton. Here is the full list for those who are interested.

Philip Adams, Journalist, broadcaster
Yvonne Allen, HR consultant
Lyn Allison, Former Senator
Prof. Dennis Altman AM, Professor of Politics, La Trobe University
Valma Angliss AM, Founding member ISPO
Bettina Arndt, Therapist, author
Rev. Gordon Bannon, Minister of Religion
Ron Barassi AM, Football legend
Greg Barns, Barrister, Columnist
Prof. Peter Baume AC, Former Senator, former Chancellor ANU
Layne Beachley, Surfing legend
… click here to read whole article and make comments

 

One of the smartest spokesmen for a Catholic stand on bioethics is Australian Bishop Anthony Fisher. Here he is interviewed by a right-to-die activist. There are no softball questions and he hits most of them out of the park. (An analogy for American readers.) 

click here to read whole article and make comments

For some time now, Philip Nitschke has been claiming that he had ‘discovered’ a ‘loophole’ in the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s procedures and protocols that would allow him to import the drug Nembutal into Australia.

The Adelaide Advertiser yesterday reported that, ‘…Nitschke has gained permission to import a drug used in voluntary euthanasia.’ Not so. Nor was there a ‘loophole’.

The TGA has given the following explanation:

The Bulgarian Parliament has rejected a euthanasia bill by a vote of 59 to 13, with 29 abstentions. Socialist MP Lyuben Kornezov had proposed a bill which would have allowed euthanasia if a patient made a notarised request. A spouse, adult children or parents could also make a request if a patient was not competent. A panel of three doctors and lawyers would review requests.

According to the Sofia Echo, Mr Kornezov said that euthanasia already had been legalised in some European countries, Japan, Oregon, Albania, Australia, Uruguay and Japan. (Mr Kornezov misinformed his parliament. Only in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg is euthanasia permitted. A few jurisdictions, like Oregon, allow assisted suicide.)

"With gritted teeth and a heavy heart, I say 'yes' to euthanasia because for me it is the highest form of humanitarianism," said Mr Kornezov. If suffering is unbearable, a person must be able to choose between… click here to read whole article and make comments

The Dignity in Dying blog has opted for assisted suicide after apparently suffering unbearably from a terminal condition.

Speculation is mounting as to why the blog chose this course. Some have suggested it may have come under pressure from authors who found it a burden to care for and were concerned about the resources its continued existence was consuming.

Others have said that it probably just felt lonely having so few readers and only nine ‘friends’, of whom only two (Ellen Coaty and Sarah Masson) had real names. In support of this they point out that one of the other seven, went under the nom de plume of ‘Comfort Blanket’ and may have been drafted in to provide palliative care.

The Dignity in Dying blog was launched on 2 November 2009, by the former Voluntary Euthanasia Society and amassed 185 posts… click here to read whole article and make comments

How much can on-line polls be trusted? Not much. An on-line poll about euthanasia? Even less. However, in view of the sketchy state of information about euthanasia in the first country to legalise it, any poll is welcome. The EinVandaag website in the Netherlands surveyed general practitioners in the last week in July and found that Dutch doctors support it, though sometimes reluctantly. (The number of official notifications of deaths by euthanasia rose 13% to 2,636 in 2009, although many deaths are apparently not reported.)

Here is what the poll of 800 doctors found. The vast majority – 87% -- were willing in principle to participate in legal euthanasia. About 68% said that they had participated in euthanasia in the last 5 years. Of these, 29% did it once; 25% twice; 33% 3 to 5 times; and 11% more than 5 times.

Euthanasia is certainly… click here to read whole article and make comments

Euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke is trying to use a legal loophole to obtain the euthanasia drug Nembutal for two South Australians. They are among six terminally ill patients who have asked Dr Nitschke to import the sedative through the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s special access scheme for patients with a “legitimate need.” 

"Obviously there's going to be a considerable degree of suspicion because I am the applicant on their behalf," Dr Nitschke admitted. He argued that while a patient could use the drug to end his or her life, that was not his intention. He said he therefore did not expect he would be liable for any criminal charge if a patient were to use the drug to end his or her life. “It would not be being prescribed as a euthanasia drug,” he said. “I would expect the patients to die of their diseases.”

If the TGA grants Dr Nitschke’s application, he… click here to read whole article and make comments